Making the Case: An Evolutionary Strategy to Achieve Interoperability HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
I’m not suggesting that these efforts were ill-advised or ill-conceived. But as I’ve analyzed these initiatives, it has become apparent to me that there may well be a different, strategic approach that can accomplish the interoperability many integrated delivery networks seek and that can bypass many of the innate barriers that have largely stymied these efforts to date. I call this an “evolutionary” or “stepping stone” approach to interoperability.

 CASE STUDY: Hawthorn Medical HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Faced with strict new password policies for the Medical Records System (MRS), Hawthorn Medical implemented DigitalPersona’s fingerprint authentication solution for its 100+ physicians and medical assistants working in their Urgent Care and primary medical facility. Fingerprint authentication has streamlined access to the MRS as well as assisted with HIPAA regulatory compliance mandates for securing patient data.

 Make the Vision of IDNs, RHIOs and Health Information Networks a Reality HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
dbMotion is the award-winning provider of the proven dbMotion™ Solution for interoperability and secure health information exchange.

 Passwords – the Weakest Link in Healthcare Security HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Passwords are still the most pervasive tool used to secure systems. As a result, the cost of managing password-based security represents a growing burden for the healthcare IT professional. Despite countless expenses and hours in creating guidelines and procedures and purchasing safeguards, one user can still override all efforts by simply sharing a password.

 Biometrics Strengthen Security and Medical Staff Efficiency HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
DigitalPersona is the leading provider of biometric authentication solutions that improve security and regulatory compliance while resolving password management problems.

 Toward a Mature Security Model HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
HIPAA Administrative Simplification intends to do what other industries have successfully achieved by sitting down with competitors – standardize common electronic transactions to reduce healthcare’s overhead cost.While not a surprising piece of legislation, Administrative Simplification’s companion privacy and security regulations have jolted just about every corner of the industry.
Kate Borten, The Marblehead Group

 Integrating Process Efficiency and Quality Patient Care HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Dräger Medical is a leading provider of innovative products, services and integrated solutions for acute patient care and home care.

 WiFi-Based Patient Monitoring HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Healthcare is an ideal environment for the use of wireless and mobile computing technologies. From a process perspective, the hospital of today can be compared to a logistical or supply chain operation. There are multiple departments through which the patient moves, while at the same time, critical patient-specific information is needed for real-time decision support. Clinicians must have access to this information at the right time – wherever they are – without increasing their workload.

 Development of a ‘Mobile Web’ for Healthcare Data Collection Using Tablet PC and Mi-Forms Technology HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Over the past two years we have been developing a technology that utilizes tablet PC technology with an innovative software product called Mi-Forms (Mi-Co, Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C.). The beauty of this technology is that it makes data collection and validation concurrent and portable, incorporating information that already exists in the hospital information system with data at the point of care.
Richard E. Shaw, Sutter Pacific Heart Centers

 Early Experiences With Positive Patient Identification HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
How do we positively identify our patients so that we are confident they are receiving the correct medications, have the correct blood samples sent to the lab and receive the right blood products during a transfusion?
John D. Halamka, M.D., M.S., NEHEN

 EHR Identity Management: A Proposal for the U.S. HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
In the United States, reliably matching EHRs with patients encompasses complex and far-ranging technical and social issues.
John Quinn, Accenture

 Data Quality Management: Oft-Overlooked Key to Affordable, High Quality Patient Care HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
In response to today’s highly competitive, cost-constrained environment, payers and providers have initiated programs that help achieve cost and quality goals. The key to successful implementation of all of the initiatives is rapid and secure access to reliable data.
Darryl McDonald, Teradata

 Disease Management: Changes and Challenges HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
Disease management – the concept and the industry – have experienced both success and scrutiny during its brief history. Currently, as technology seems poised to improve management systems, everyone is struggling with elevating costs and the appropriate measurement of impact.
Alison Johnson, R.N., M.B.A., Milliman, Patty Armocida, R.N., M.B.A., Milliman

 How E-Prescribing Is Fostering Collaboration Between Payers and Providers HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
We absolutely are where health care and other segments of this industry on the medical side want to be.
Lee Ann Stember, NCPDP, Phillip Scott, NCPDP

 Privacy and Security HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
Collaboration among multiple health care organizations involves the sharing of electronic patient information. Information sharing, especially given the speed and ease of electronic transmission and access sharing, necessarily provokes privacy and security concerns.
John Quinn, Accenture

 The National Provider Identifier HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
On January 23, 2004, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the final rules on the implementation of the National Provider Identifier (NPI). The NPI will be unique to the provider and will be never ending; in other words, the same NPI will be used regardless of when or where that provider conducts standard transactions such as third party billing.
Peter Kongstvedt, M.D., Accenture, John Quinn, Accenture, Hindy Shaman, Capgemini

 Connecting Health Care Users to Information: Convenience, Security, and Authentication Management HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Secure, simplified authentication is more of an issue than ever as the demand for access to clinical data spreads from hospitals to clinics, doctors' offices, and patients. One solution is to separate and extract the authentication process from the underlying application. Authentication services can then be provided as a "network service."
Daniel Palestrant, BNX Systems

 Health Care and the Networked Virtual Organization HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Over the past decade, the Internet has allowed entire industries to incrementally transform how they conduct business. The next wave of business innovation appears to be that of the networked virtual organization (NVO), where companies evolve their core competencies and outsource remaining activities to improve productivity, cash flow, and profitability. Will the health care industry adopt the NVO business model? This white paper provides further background on the NVO concept and suggests that the health care provider community is in fact beginning to adopt some of these principles — and experiencing tangible benefits.
Cisco Internet Solutions Group Business Development, Cisco Systems, Inc.

 Protecting Private Health Information With Role-Based Authorization HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
There are several reliable methods for meeting HIPAA compliance for authentication, authorization, and accountability, including passwords, digital certificates, tokens, and biometrics. Compliance can be simple, but no one piece of software can do it all.
Michelle Netten, Secure Computing Corporation

 Smart Cards and Clinical Care Delivery HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
In the search for fast, secure, and accurate patient clinical information storage, smart cards offer advanced options to care providers and patients. Smart card technology allows health care providers and health care organizations to streamline medical processes, participate in secure health care data exchange, as well as increase quality of service through improved data access.
Dr. Bruno Lassus, D.D.S., Gemplus

 Special Section: Technology Overview HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
In this section, John Quinn offers an in-depth examination of core information systems. His discussion includes a look at the management of large hospital information systems, core building components and systems integration, and data management and architecture.
John Quinn, Accenture

 The Net Effect HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Internet-based, global information technology has revolutionized the technological landscape for the health care industry. While privacy and security issues persist in patient care, safety is within reach utilizing existing security devices and systems.
Curtis K. Levinson, SBC